The Hylesia genus comprises a group of neotropical moths ubiquitous in the Americas from Arizona to Argentina. One of the species of the Hylesia genus in Venezuela, French Guyana and Trinidad has been identified as Hylesia metabus (Lepidoptera:Saturniidae). In Venezuela these moths are found in abundance in the mangrove swamps surrounding the Gulf of Paria and the Orinoco Delta in the eastern part of the country. During the mating season the female adults shed copious amounts of urticating setae in the air producing a severe papulo-vesicular dermatitis with retarded onset among the population in the affected areas. The morbidity produced by this species severely affects the public health of the general population, and also severely restricts the socio-economic activities in the affected areas i.e. agriculture and educational activities. The females use their urticating setae to protect the eggs from potential predators during the hatching period. Extracts from Female Adult Abdominal Seatae (FAAS) or egg-nests gives rise to a retarded inflammatory reaction characterized by massive infiltration of inflammatory cells, echymoses, and vascular degeneration when evaluated in a guinea pig ear-pouch system. Recent studies have shown that the Hylesia metabus venom is made up of two distinct proteins with proteolytic properties having selectively vasodegenerative-fibrinolytic or pro-inflammatory properties.